Brothers Past Death
by xpaigers91
Summary: Harry and Tom were twin brothers before Harry died. Now, after Harry's fifth year, Voldemort wants his baby brother back.
1. Prologue

**Brothers Past Death: Prologue**

**Written by:** xPaigers91

**Disclaimer: **Don't own it. Never did, never claimed to.

"Tom!" Harry whispered urgently, shaking his older brother from his sleep.

"What is it, Harry?" Tom asked groggily.

"I had a nightmare."

Tom smiled at his younger brother and lifted his thin blanket in invitation. Harry quickly climbed into the bed, snuggling close to his only family. Tom wrapped his arms around his little brother and let his hand land on top of Harry's.

"Good night Harry."

"Night Tom." Harry yawned.

The next morning, both boys were kicked out of the orphanage for the day like the rest of the kids. Like normal, Tom went looking for food and pick-pocketing while Harry played look out.

By lunch they had managed to get enough money for a sandwich at a vendor on the street. Tom handed Harry half and ate his own food quickly. After eating, they began heading back to the orphanage so they would hopefully be one of the first to get dinner that night. Everyone else usually hung out with the street kids until almost dark. Tom, however, had figured out early on that if they started to head back by lunch, they would most likely get soup that was slightly warm.

The routine continued as normal until a few days before their eleventh birthday. Harry and Tom were in a semi-large storage closet. Tome had managed to find a few old schoolbooks a couple of years before and had learned to read with them and now he was teaching Harry to read.

Harry was trying to sound out a word when the door suddenly banged open. Five boys, all looking to be about fifteen barged in. One grabbed Harry by his collar and two boys held Tom back while the other two stood by the door.

"What's going on?" Tom demanded.

"This little shit went through my stuff!" the boy holding Harry growled. Harry shook his head in denial and Tom had a bad feeling. The guy thought Harry had stolen some of his drugs.

The boy rammed Harry violently into the wall. Harry cried out and struggled. The older boy wasn't phased in the slightest and began bunching and kicking the ten year old. Tom had begun struggling the minute the older boy had rammed his baby brother into the wall and began struggling even more as Harry's cries got more hoarse and softer. After a few minutes, the older boy seemed to grow tired of punching and kicking Harry and pulled out a knife. Without hesitating, he stabbed Harry in the gut. The knife slipped in like butter as Harry cried out loudly and began crying in earnest. The older boy just sneered at the small boy on the floor and left, signaling to the other boys to follow. His friends followed him like puppies, sending Tom haughty looks as they walked out.

Tom rushed to Harry's side and tried to stop the bleeding.

"I love you, Tommy." Harry whispered, clenching his hands in Tom's shirt.

"No!" Tom protested. "Don't say that like you're gonna die cuz you are NOT dying on me!"

"Just promise me that you'll get out of here and do something big." Harry asked.

Tom nodded sadly and smoothed back Harry's black hair. "Of course, baby brother." He leaned down and kissed Harry's forehead. "I love you too."

Harry nodded and closed his eyes, wincing. Eventually his breathing slowed and then finally stopped. Tom broke down crying over Harry's brother.

A few days later, July thirty-first, both Tom and Harry's Hogwarts letters arrived. Tom buried Harry's with his brother's body without opening it. On September first, Tom headed for Hogwarts, going to school for the first time and without his brother by his side. At Hogwarts, Tom Riddle was sorted into Slytherin and kept Harry a guarded secret. No one in the magical world, save for a few officials even knew of Harry's existence and they certainly didn't care.

Years later a dark lord rose. That dark lord was, of course, Tom and he vowed to get his brother back, no matter how he had to do it.

**Revised on: **7-22-08


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**Written by: **xpaigers91

**Disclaimer: **I don't own it. Never did. Never claimed to.

Harry Potter tossed and turned in his bed at 4 Privet Drive. He was sweating profusely and it was obvious he had a fever, though he hadn't checked in days. It had started before he even left Hogwarts, though he easily hid it from his friends and professors. Had he been more aware of the outside world, he would have realized that he had five letters waiting for him and that he hadn't eaten in three days. His aunt and uncle had stopped bothering him within two days, thinking he had some freak illness and they didn't want to catch it. If he had been coherent, he would have also realized that something was dreadfully wrong and he would probably want to contact someone to find out why he was living someone else's memories.

"_Tommy! Stop it!" Harry laughed._

_Tom grinned. "No way." He said, continuing to tickle his brother mercilessly._

_Harry kept laughing and struggled against the other boy, eventually gaining the upper hand and pushing Tom off him. He sat back on his bed, still grinning and trying to catch his breath. Tom smiled and leaned over to touch his lips to his brother's forehead._

"_Harry, your fever is still pretty high." He said, concerned. "Are you sure you don't want me to go out and try to find some medicine."_

_Harry shook his head. "No, it would be too much effort. I'll probably feel better tomorrow, anyhow."_

_Tom sighed, but nodded in agreement. It would take too long to manage to scrounge up some money to buy some medicine. He resigned himself to just tuck his brother in bed and lay a cold washrag across his burning forehead._

"_What are you two still doing here?!" a stern voice yelled at the entrance of the doorway to the room where the smaller boys slept in the orphanage._

_Tom stood up in front of Harry. "Ma'am…my brother isn't feeling well today. I didn't think it would be too much trouble if he just laid in bed. Being outside today could make him worse."_

_The owner of the orphanage, an older woman, stepped toward Tom menacingly. "I don't recall giving you brats permission to stay indoors." Tom shook his head, casting his head toward the ground. The woman stomped forward and laid her hand across Harry's forehead. "You're right. He had a fever. He can stay." She grabbed Tom's arm forcefully. "You, on the other hand, are getting out of here. The staff and I don't need you underfoot all day." _

_Tom allowed himself to be pulled away, even as Harry stood up and began protesting. "Harry! It's fine. I'll be back tonight. Just get some rest." he ordered him. Harry nodded, still not looking happy and got back in bed._

Harry Potter woke up jerkily. He blindly reached for his glasses and then the cup of water had had taken to keeping on his bedside table. He took a sip and laid back down to contemplate the newest memory. Who was Tom and why were they in an orphanage? His dreamself hadn't felt threatened at all until the woman came to take Tom away. The two boys were so identical too…Harry was certain that they were twins.

He wanted to give it more thought, but his head was pounding too much to care. He laid back down and succumbed to the newest memory.

"_I can't wait until we're old enough to get out of this soddin place." Harry grumbled, as they left the orphanage one day._

"_Language." Tom said automatically, making Harry scowl._

"_What does it matter?" Harry asked. "It's not like anyone cares enough to listen to what I say."_

_Tom just glanced at his little brother and then back to the street, looking for someone that had money in easy reach. "One day, Harry, I promise people will listen to what you say." He said quietly._

Then suddenly the memory switched.

_It was apparently Christmas time, as the orphanage was badly decorated in handmade decorations. All the children, thirty in all, were gathered around, opening their small gifts from the staff of the orphanage. In all of them, of course, was a new shirt and a pair of pants, obviously handed down and cheaply made._

_Harry scowled down at his gift before looking up and thanking the owner gratefully. To his left, Tom did the same. As soon as they weren't being watched, Tom pulled something from behind him._

"_I found these by that school." He said softly. "I thought you might like them." He said, handing over a small stack of books._

_Harry grasped them excitedly. "Tommy! Thank you! Now I can learn to read!" He exclaimed, although quietly._

Harry Potter was jerked awake again, but this time it was by a bright light that consumed his entire being. Harry didn't notice the light, only that it caused a lot of pain. He whimpered and moaned, feeling as if someone was invading his very being.

Just as suddenly as it began, it stopped and Harry felt better than he had in two weeks. He smiled and sat up.

Miles away in Little Hangleton, Lord Voldemort was jerked awake as he felt an intense pain all over his body. He looked down, and saw his hands turning less sallow and quickly got up, ignoring the pain as much as possible to look in his mirror. He watched as his face slowly changed back to what he had looked like when he was more human.

When the change was obviously complete, for the pain had stopped, Tom left his room, puzzling over this turn in events. He spent his day in his library, looking for causes of this strange occurrence.

When night had fallen, he called a quick meeting with his death eaters to alert them all to look for causes and then went to bed.

That night, the dream was a little different than the ones before. Harry was surprised to find that he wasn't actually in the dream-Harry's body and was merely a spectator, however he was also surprised to see an older version of the boy he saw two years ago in the Chamber of Secrets also spectating.

"What are you doing here?" Harry demanded, as dream-Harry and dream-Tom went about their business.

Tom Riddle sneered. "I could ask you the same question, Potter."

Harry turned to look at dream-Harry and Tom. "I've been having these memories come back for weeks now."

Tom Riddle's eyes narrowed. "Why the bleeding hell are you dreaming about my past?!"

Harry snorted. "This isn't your past! This is my past! Obviously." He retorted. He was happy to say he had finally figured it out after he felt that piece of himself come back the night before. "Although, I don't remember it except in dreams." He added, resignly.

Tom scowled. "No, Potter. This isn't your past." He said as if he was talking to a child.

Harry turned to him. "How the fuck would you know!?" He yelled.

"Language." Tom said automatically. When he realized what came out of his mouth, he looked shocked.

Harry, of course, was just as shocked. "No way." He said. "There is no way you are that Tom." He said, pointing toward the boy teaching his dream-self to read.

Tom sighed and ran his hand over his newly human face. So that was why he had returned to his former self. He had read about magical twins once before. When one died, or was otherwise forced to leave the human plane of existence, the soul of the deceased waited until an appropriate host was ready, and then was born again. Eventually, the twins would meet again. Tom had waited for years, but had eventually given up hope, turning back to his research in ways to bring his brother back. He had been convinced that it was because he and his brother were both half-muggle.

"Yes, Harry I am." He said, and then proceeded to explain what he knew about magical twins.

When he was done, Harry just collapsed on the ground, dumbfounded. "But I'm supposed to kill you…" he said finally.

Tom groaned. "I'm aware of that Potter. I know part of the stupid prophecy."

Harry looked at him in question then. "What prophecy?" he asked.

Tom looked away then, realizing that Dumbledore had no seen fit to tell the boy of the prophecy. "Nothing, don't worry about it."

Harry tiredly nodded. He could always ask someone later. "So, I have your brother's as well as my soul in my body?" he asked finally.

Tom shook his head. "No, you were always Harry Riddle. My guess is that neither of us knew it because of the half-dead state I was in. Now that I'm fully alive again, our magic wanted us to know." He shrugged.

Harry nodded and looked up for a second. "I'm waking up." He stood up and waved at Tom awkwardly.

Harry sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes and then putting on his glasses. He thought that maybe he should write Dumbledore to tell him of the strange dream he had, but something in him told him not to. He knew, somehow and without a doubt, that what was said in his dream was entirely true.

Apparently, his aunt and uncle had realized that he was feeling better and were making him do his chores again. He spent the next few weeks doing more chores than should be possible during the day and having the dreams/meetings with Voldemort, although he was finding it harder and harder to think of him that way.

**Revised on: **7-22-08


	3. Chapter 2

**Brothers Past Death: Chapter Two**

As the "dreams" progressed, more and more outside occurrences began appearing, such as, Harry always appeared bone tired. This had struck Tom's more protective side more than once, but he tried not to act on it too much since he and Harry were still not as close as they used to be.

Instead, the two brothers just talked, trying to avoid topics that would get one or both of them upset. Tom was relieved to find out that Harry had no clue as to how or when he died; only knowing that he had never gotten to attend Hogwarts the first time.

"You know what?" Harry said one night, covering a yawn.

"Hm?" Tom asked, watching their younger selves again as dream-Harry struggled to read.

"I think Dumbledore is full of bullshit when he says that my mum's love is what protected me from your killing curse." It was the first time Harry had spoken of that night and it startled Tom for a moment.

"He said that?" Tom asked. "Why do you think its bullshit?"

"Well, it really makes no sense whatsoever." Harry said. "Love is an emotion, not magic. I imagine that there have been at least a few people to jump in front of a killing curse before, but that didn't save the people they were trying to save. Is he trying to say that my mum loved me more than any one else loved any other person?" He stopped. "Besides, now that people think that love will protect it, they probably have all kinds of families planning that if you ever attack their house, one of the parents will jump in front of the kids."

Tom nodded, still not understanding where Harry was going with this.

Harry looked up at his brother. "I think the fact that we're twins is what protected me. I mean, if magical twins are twins even through death, it makes much more sense than what Dumbledore said."

Tom nodded and tapped his finger on his chin. "That does make the most sense." He looked over at the younger boy. "You look exhausted. Go to sleep."

Harry covered another yawn. "I'm fine." He insisted.

Tom snorted. "No you're not. You know as well as I do that I can't kill you here so you might as well go to sleep."

Harry finally nodded. A blanket and a pillow appeared, like anything else that they needed did and he fell asleep. Only when he was sure the other boy was asleep did Tom reach over and card his fingers through his hair. Subconsciously, Harry leaned into the affectionate touch.

When he woke up, Harry was well rested and began his chores with an energy he hadn't had since the dreams began affecting his waking body. That day though, his cousin came home early from his friend's house and decided to partake in his old favorite game of "Harry Hunting." When he finally caught the wizard, he roughed him up a bit, leaving a bruise on Harry's face. Harry just washed his face carefully to make sure there was no cut on his face and went to bed, not even thinking that it would show up in his dreams.

As soon as he entered the dream world, Tom was by his side in an instant. Most nights, Harry got there first, but that night, Tom had gone to bed early.

"What happened?" Tom hissed angrily. He gently grabbed the younger wizard's face.

Harry scowled and shoved Tom's hand away. "Nothing happened. Why do you even care?"

Tom ignored the question and his gaze went from worried to stern in a second flat. "you and I both know that isn't true. What really happened?"

Harry sighed and told his brother the truth.

When he was done, Tom was seething in anger, "So your fat, worthless, tub-of-lard cousin decided he could hit you?" he asked, summing up what Harry said. It was said very calmly but Harry could hear his brother's underlying threateningly tone.

"Tom its fine." Harry said. "Really. It happens all the time."

As soon as that slipped out of his mouth, Harry knew he should have said that. Tom's face looked even more enraged. "Happens all the time?! Why the hell do those worthless muggles think they have a right to touch you!" he yelled. "Nobody will hurt you and get away with it! Not again." He finished softly, but Harry heard him anyway.

"Again?"

"Don't worry about it." Tom said, thinking he needed to get Harry out of the Dursley's house sooner than he had planned.

Harry sighed and nodded, resigned to the fact that he would never know why he had died the first time around.

Harry woke up a few minutes later to his aunt's shrilly yell through the door ordering him to make breakfast for Vernon and Dudley. He sighed and did as told. The rest of the day went as usual. They assigned him more chores than normal though. They seemed determined to make him do more work than the day before each day. At six-thirty that night he was locked in his room for the rest of the night. He tried to go to sleep but when that didn't work he started on his summer homework.

At around nine-thirty Harry heard his aunt scream. He shrugged, thinking it was a mouse, and went back to his potions essay. Less than a minute later his cousin let out a girlish shriek. He sighed and got up; walking towards the door. When he reached it, however, the door opened and Tom walked in, followed by two death eaters. One began packing Harry's belongings and the other guarded the door.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked as his older brother wrapped the cloak snuggly around him.

"I'm taking you home." Tom replied, pulling Harry out the bedroom door.

"Why?" Harry asked, incredulously.

"You didn't think I would let you be here after what that idiot muggle did, did you?" Tom asked.

Harry shrugged but followed Tom down the stairs. He sighed sadly at seeing the living room's state. His uncle was against the wall by the door; as if he had been trying to escape. His neck was at an odd angle and his face looked as if he had been staring into the face of death himself. His aunt looked like she had been trying to shield Dudley. It didn't help for they were both dead. His aunt had drying blood trickling out of her mouth. There was already blood all over her shirt.

Harry felt numb. How could Tom do this? The Dursleys hadn't really done anything! He jumped as he felt an arm snaking its way across his shoulders.

"You don't need to see that, Harry." Tom said softly and turned Harry away.

"You didn't need to do that!" Harry answered angrily.

Tom shook his head, "Yes I did! **No one** will ever hurt you and get away with it!"

"They didn't hurt me!" Harry protested.

"Yes they did!" Tom insisted, "What do you think it was when Dudley hit you?" he asked. "Or when Vernon smacked you around? Or when your aunt called you a freak? They deserved what they got! How can I make you understand that?" He asked desperately, clutching Harry's shoulders.

"You can't." Harry answered. "What they did didn't make them deserve death. I'm staying here." Harry crosses his arms.

"With your dead relatives?" Tom asked. When Harry nodded he sighed loudly. "Harry, that's ridiculous!"

Harry shrugged, "I don't think I could ever trust you if you're just going to go around killing anyone that pisses you off."

"Harry, you, of all people should know that I've killed people and will again if I have to." Tom protested.

"But I never actually saw anything! Just knowing and actually seeing is two completely different things!" Harry shouted, starting to sound panicky.

Tom sighed again and pulled Harry to him and sat down on the floor. If Harry was the same as he was fifty years ago then, if he didn't calm Harry down, Harry would go into a full blown panic attack and hyperventilate.

"Shh. It's alright, Harry. Everything's fine." He said rubbing his brother's back. "Nothing like this will happen again. I promise. It'll be okay." he whispered, still rubbing Harry's back. Harry eventually calmed his breathing and burrowed his head into his big brother's shoulder.

"Better?" he asked anxiously. Harry just nodded. "Are you coming with me?" when he felt Harry nod he stood up.

He carried Harry out the door and apparated to Little Hangleton. When there he climbed into a carriage that was waiting for them. After a short ride they were there. He coaxed Harry away from his shoulders and they started up the walk.

"So this is where our dad lived?" Harry asked. Tom nodded. "I wish I had met him." he commented wistfully.

Tom stopped them and turned Harry toward him. "No you don't Harry. He was awful. He hated us because of something we can't control." Tom said. "He's the one that forced us to grow up with no one but each other. You shouldn't want to have met him."

Harry stared at him for a moment before nodding.

In Scotland an alarm went off on Dumbledore's desk, alerting the Order of Harry's disappearance.

As soon as Harry was shown where he was to stay, he went in his room and shut the door, locking it. Tom sighed. Harry was obviously still mad at him. He went downstairs to call a death eater meeting.

He knew he had promised he wouldn't cause any unnecessary deaths and he would honor that promise but that didn't mean he was going to give up everything he had worked for, no matter that the reason he had become dark lord in the first place was to get revenge on Harry's murderers.

Fifteen minutes later all the death eaters were in the ballroom Tom used for meetings waiting for their master to enter. There was a loud bang and everyone quickly quieted and turned their attention to Voldemort.

"Tonight is a joyous occasion!" Tom smiled, "Harry Potter has been taken care of!" Immediately there was thunderous applause and whispers of excitement spread across the room. "However," the room quieted instantly, "If any of you attempt to harm him I will rip out your ribcage through your nose before spearing out you eyes with a fork. Then I'll rip out your tongue and sew your mouth shut before setting you on fire."

The death eaters exchanged confused looks. 'Why was their master warning them against hurting the boy-who-wouldn't-die?'

"But My Lord, why can't we harm Potter?" Bellatrix asked.

"Just do as I say." Voldemort growled. Bellatrix nodded meekly. "Now, Lucius how are things going at the ministry?" Lucius stepped forward to give his report.

An hour later, Tom dismissed everyone. The death eaters left perplexed that their master hadn't let them torture anyone. Even when they had discovered a traitor, Voldemort had simply killed him; not even casting one crucio.

The next morning, Tom went down to the dining room for breakfast and was surprised to see Harry there eating a very large breakfast.

"Anything left for me?" Tom asked amusedly. Harry nodded and pointed to Tom's own very large meal.

They finished their breakfast about thirty minutes later. Tom led Harry to his study.

"How come my scar doesn't hurt when you're around?" Harry asked the second they entered the dark room.

"Did it use to?" Tom asked, concerned. He gave the scar a puzzled look.

Harry nodded, "It did when you were in Quirrell's body."

Tom shuddered, "Ugh, he was really annoying! I know the stuttering was faked but did he have to go to the extreme?!"

Harry laughed and all the nervousness that had showed up the night before when Tom had come for him drained away. Tom was acting like he did in the dreams, like a normal human being. He also knew for a fact that Tom hadn't tortured anyone during the death eater meeting the night before. Even though his scar no longer hurt in Tom's presence, he did still have that connection to him and was able to see the meeting the night before. He had seen Tom kill a traitor, but it was done with a killing curse, which was the least painful way possible. At first, Harry was mad about that, but then realized that if he were a dark lord and discovered a spy, he would have him killed too. It didn't make it any less right, but he understood it.

"So what are we doing today?" he asked.

"I don't know." Tom answered, "Maybe we can go shopping."

"For what?" Harry asked totally clueless. Tom sent a pointed look at Harry's clothes. "What?"

"Harry your clothes are dreadful." Tom answered bluntly.

"It's not like I could help it." he grumbled.

"I know." Tom answered, "The first thing I did when I went to Hogwarts was get new clothes." he smiled ruefully, "I really missed you after you...left." he added quietly.

"I wish I had the memories." Harry remarked.

Tom nodded and they slipped into an uncomfortable silence.

**Revised On: **7-22-08


	4. Chapter 3

**Brothers Past Death: Chapter 3**

**Author's Note: **I just thought that I would let everyone know that updates will be given much faster at my homepage. Also, other stories, such as my original stories and other fandoms, will be there as well. The link is in my profile

* * *

In number 12 Grimauld Place, while Tom and Harry relaxed, the entire Order was in frenzy. The entire room was talking and yelling and running around to talk to other people.

"Excuse me." Dumbledore said. When that didn't work he shouted, "EXCUSE ME!!" the room quieted.

"Well, honestly Albus, you didn't have to yell." Molly Weasley huffed.

Dumbledore merely smiled and sat down at the head of the table, "Now something most unfortunate has happened-"

"I'll say!" someone interrupted.

"But we mustn't give up. That's what Voldemort wants us to do." Dumbledore continued on as if nothing had happened. "We will search diligently for Mr. Potter and bring him back to us safely." He was about to continue but Severus tumbled gracefully (well as gracefully as one can tumble) out of the fireplace. "Ah, Severus, any news?"

"No Headmaster. The dark lord has not informed the death eaters whether or not he has Potter." Severus lied smoothly, taking a seat in a chair.

"Too bad." Dumbledore said lightly, although his eyes seemed to know what Severus was thinking. But then when did they not? Dumbledore assigned teams to go out and search for Harry and dismissed the meeting.

Back in Riddle Mansion, Harry and Tom were getting ready to go shopping in muggle London.

"You know, I thought you hated all things muggle." Harry said lightly.

"No, I hate muggles themselves." Tom replied, grabbing Harry's hand to apparate them.

There was a loud crack and then they were in a small alleyway in London.

"You know as well as I do that I was raised in the muggle world, so I do believe they have some rather useful inventions."

Harry nodded and followed Tom into a mall. The next few hours they spent searching for some decent clothes for Harry. He ended up with five pairs of pants and five t-shirts as well as a new pair of shoes.

"You know what would be cool?" Harry asked as they were walking out of the last clothing store.

"What?" Tom said, looking at a group of teenagers with disdain.

"Would you stop it already!" Harry said. "Anyway, a laptop that was charmed to work even in Hogwarts…ooh! What about cell phones!?" He exclaimed, clearly excited for this new project.

Tom smiled and began walking toward the electronics store. "Then I guess you'll have to figure out how to charm them, hm?" He asked teasingly.

An hour later, they had picked out a laptop for Harry and bought two cell phones. Harry claimed that if he could figure out how to make them work at Hogwarts, then it would be the perfect way for he and Tom to keep in touch without Dumbledore finding out. When Harry said that, Tom smiled happily. It seemed like he and his brother were finally becoming a family again.

When they got back to Riddle Manor, Harry rushed upstairs to unpack his belongings and look through his old charms textbooks, hoping that it would mention something to get the electronics to work. He spent the day looking through his books, but not finding anything to help. Sooner than he thought, a house elf was in his room telling him dinner was ready.

He entered the dining room to see Tom already there and eating.

"Hi." Harry said, tiredly. Why did looking through books make one so tired?

"Hey." Tom replied. "Did you find anything?"

Harry shook his head, spooning potatoes on his plate. "Think of it though! If I could get the laptop to work…I could develop magical laptops and students could use those instead of textbooks. Everything would be faster, and then we could get a sort of magical internet!" He said excitedly.

Tom laughed. "How long have you been thinking about that?"

Harry shrugged. "Awhile. I always thought about all cool it would be to be able to use some of the conveniences the muggle world uses in the magical world. Not only that, but it would help muggleborns adjust. I mean, compared to muggles and their advances, wizards are pretty old-fashioned, even with our magical advantage." Harry explained.

Tom nodded thoughtfully. What Harry said made sense. The magical world was a bit archaic. "Well I hope you figure it out." He told his little brother.

Harry nodded back and the two returned to their meals.

The next day Harry woke up much sooner than Tom did. He soon got bored just sitting there and waiting for his older brother to wake up so he began exploring the mansion he was now supposed to call home.

He started walking down the hallway, opening every door that appeared. He could barely believe that this was the house that his ancestors called home. Eventually, he stopped only finding guest rooms and sitting rooms and found the library. He began rummaging through the shelves looking for nothing in particular. Most of the books were muggle books that were obviously left by his family. All the classics were there-Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, Pride and Prejudice, and so many more. Not much of these interested Harry. He was only looking for the books that Tom would have added to this extensive collection. He kept walking around and eventually stopped at the poetry books. Many renowned poets had books residing in this area. William Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe, and Elizabeth Browning, just to name a few.

He searched for a little while longer before giving up on finding the magic books. He left the room and just began wandering the halls. After about fifteen minutes he ran into Nagini, who was just coming in from the garden.

'_Hello young Harry…I see that my master has finally convinced you to return home.' She hissed up at him._

'_Not exactly." Harry stated. 'I was more or less forced to come here.'_

'_Well, you must have wanted to come as you have not tried to escape.' She hissed before slithering away. 'It's good to have my master's brother back though…' she said as she slithered away._

Harry stood there for a minute thinking that over. Why hadn't he tried to escape? He had seen Tom kill before. He had even killed his relatives. Why would he want to stay with someone who could murder in cold blood? And how could this same person be so kind to Harry? Since the beginning of summer, Tom had been nothing but nice to him. Sure, he hadn't apologized or even said anything about the past…but did that even matter? Harry decided he didn't want to think about it anymore because it was giving him a headache. It was too difficult to decide what part of his brain was right anyway.

He started walking down to the informal dining room, where they had been eating since he got here. He didn't know where the formal dining room was and he didn't really care, especially because it was probably what was used for the death eater meetings. When he finally got there, Tom was already sitting in his seat and was looking like he was anxious to start eating.

"It's about time you got down here." Tom said, "I was just about to start without you."

"It wouldn't have bothered me if you had." Harry answered honestly and sat down at his huge meal and began to eat.

Tom started in on his huge meal and just sat there silently for a little bit.

"Where were you?" he finally asked.

"Just exploring. I was mainly in the library." Harry answered simply.

"Did you find anything of interest?" Tom asked.

Harry shook his head, putting a bite in his mouth. "Not really, I wanted to find your books so I could find ideas for the laptop in them, but they weren't in there."

"Yeah, I'll show you my library as soon as we get done here." Tom agreed. "It'll give you something to do today anyway."

Harry nodded and then dug into his food.

A little while later, Tom led Harry to his own smaller library, then left him there so Harry could begin his search.

Tom popped in around lunchtime, having dealt with Lucius Malfoy all day about the happenings in the ministry. "Any luck?" he asked.

Harry shook his head, looking up from a book. "No, and you don't really have any charms books. I wish we could get some…" he said, trailing off.

Tom smiled, indulgently. "I'll see about someone picking some up from Diagon Alley. It would hardly do for either of us to go strolling down the street."

Harry nodded and looked back down at his book. Tom took that as a hint and left the room. He had never thought his brother would have been so studious. Then again, he had a feeling Harry hid a lot about himself.

While Harry researched and Tom looked for someone to go to Diagon Alley for him, the Order was anxiously searching for Harry. Well, except for Dumbledore, he was sitting in his office eating lemon drops. He was confident in his Order members' capabilities to find Harry.

The Order truly were searching everywhere. They had someone staked out at the Dursley's, even though they were dead. They figured that Harry would return there first if he managed to escape. They were prowling Diagon Ally, Knockturn Ally and generally searching all over Europe for the boy. They, of course, weren't getting any closer to finding the boy, and Dumbledore never thought to check if Tom had ever returned to Little Hangleton. After all, surely Tom wouldn't want to live in the same place as the muggles that abandoned him.

A few hours later, Tom came back into the magical library to find Harry still studying. "Hey, here's those books." He said, dropping a stack of shrinked books on a table and then enlarging them. "I made them get a few about creating charms too."

Harry smiled brightly and came over to the pile, searching through them and sorting them.

Tom then pulled a wand out of his pocket. "I also had them get an unregistered wand. It's a phoenix feather, but you still won't get your full power with that wand. At least, the ministry won't be able to trace your spells."

Harry smiled again and grabbed it. "Thanks!" He said happily.

"You're welcome." Tom said softly. "Harry, don't you think you oughtta leave the library and go fly or something?" he asked.

Harry looked up at him, worrying his lower lip. "Yeah…probably…" he said wistfully.

Tom smiled. "Come on then." He wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders, pulling him toward the door.

He was shocked when Harry ducked under his arm. "I'll come out later. Just let me look at some of these new books."

Tom made a sound akin to a growl. "Harry! You can't stay cooped up in here all day! That's just ridiculous!" he snapped.

Harry glared at him. "What do you care? You may be my brother but that doesn't make you my father. You don't have any right to act that way…you killed our father remember?"

Tom glared back, just as angry. "Oh yeah, and do you think our dear old dad would be inviting us to tea? We were just consequences of a stupid love potion our mother dosed his drinks with for a year." He yelled. "I may not be your father, but you have no right to yell at me for being concerned about you burying yourself in some project in an effort to escape the real world."

Harry stood up angrily. "I think I will go flying." He snapped, stomping out of the room.

He stayed there flying til almost dark. By the time he made it back to his room he was dirty and sweaty, but he felt a lot better than he had that morning. When he entered his bathroom, Harry threw off his clothes and basically hurled himself into the already filled bathtub. He stayed there far longer than the water stayed warm. He got out reluctantly, cursing the fact that he hadn't put warming charms on the water and made his way back to his room. He was shocked to turn around to see Tom sitting on his bed.

"I'm sorry about earlier." Tom started.

"Don't worry about it." Harry answered. "I'm not in the best state of mind right now."

Tom nodded, accepting what he said at face value, "Do you want to stay here tonight or do you want to come back to my room and read with me for a little while?"

"I think I'd rather stay here.

Tom nodded again and walked over to Harry and hugged him tight. "Everything will be figured out, I promise little brother. But I refuse to let you go again."

Harry nodded absently and just simply said "Good night Tom."

"Night Harry."

* * *

**Revised On: **7-23-08


	5. Chapter 4

**Brothers Past Death: Chapter 4**

**Author's Note: IMPORTANT!!** If you have not checked this story in awhile, then go back and read the prologue and the first 3 chapters. I basically rewrote them all, and more things are explained now. Anyway, go back and read those before reading this one. If you don't then you will be dreadfully confused. Thanks!

* * *

The next day, Harry woke up early and was surprised to find Tom already in the informal dining room.

Tom grinned at Harry. "Happy Birthday!" he said cheerfully.

Harry blinked and sat down. "Is it really July 31st?" he asked.

Tom looked at him like he had lost it. "Yes. Did you not look at a calendar since you left the Dursley's?" he asked. Neither acknowledged that he had no choice but to leave the Dursley's.

Harry nodded sheepishly. "Does that mean it's your birthday too?" he asked. He was still confused over the whole magical twins thing and whether or not everything was exactly how it had been, only fifty years later.

Tom nodded. "Yes, but I think that's just a coincidence." He frowned in thought. "Or maybe…that's how the twin bond works." He shrugged. "I don't know. Anyway, eat up so I can give you your present." He said.

Harry nodded and ate his food dutifully. "I didn't get you anything…" he said softly.

Tom nodded. "I didn't think you had Harry. It's fine. I daresay that I haven't had a birthday present and Merlin knows how long." He laughed.

Harry smiled, but still thought he should get Tom a birthday present. It didn't seem right that he didn't.

As soon as they were done, Tom banished the dishes to the kitchen with his wand and pulled out a small box, handing it to Harry.

It was a book. "It's not a normal book, it's so we can write to each other, but it also acts like a diary. You have to send me the message with an incantation; otherwise, it disappears until you need it."

Tom then handed Harry another book, "Since we're on the subject of diaries, I thought I'd give you my old one. I started it right after I began school at Hogwarts…but don't worry!" he added when he saw Harry's face. "This one won't take you into the chamber of secrets."

Harry looked relieved. "So…this is the one where you wrote about me?" He was touched that Tom would give him this. To tell him what happened was one thing, but to actually let him read his thoughts and feelings were another. He was happy that his brother was obviously willing now to let him know what had happened all those years ago.

He stood up and hugged a surprised Tom tightly. Tom stood still for a second before hugging Harry back just as tightly. When he pulled away, Harry smiled at Tom and then grabbed both books. "Thank you. I think I'm going to get started on your diary right now." He said.

Tom nodded and he left the dining room, heading back upstairs to his room. He settled on the bed and opened the old book gently.

_September 2__nd__ 1938_

_Well, I made it to the wizarding school, Hogwarts. I was sorted, by a stupid hat, into Slytherin House. I understand it to be the house in which its members have great ambitions. I suppose it fits me, as Harry did make me promise him to get out of that stupid orphanage and do something big. I hope I can keep that promise. I think that right now my greatest ambition would have to be getting back at Harry's murderers. I can't believe they would stab my brother like that right in front of me for something Harry didn't even do. I would know if he had, after all. Stupid paranoid drug addicts…_

_They will pay, as will that stupid owner of the orphanage for all the things she's done to Harry and I since we can remember. I hope that magic will help me in that._

_I had my first classes today. They were a lot of fun and I learned a lot about the spells I read in my school books over the summer. I only wish that Harry was here with me. I know he would be fascinated by this new world, and eager to find out whatever he could. _

_Tom_

Harry looked down at the first entry, shocked. He had been murdered? By drug addicts? He had never thought that…maybe that he had died from some disease or virus, but he had never even entertained the notion that he was murdered.

He jumped when his brother entered his room. "Tom…" he said quietly, looking up sadly at his twin.

Tom gave him a small smile. "I thought you would be done with the first entry…" He whispered, moving to sit next to Harry on his bed.

"I was murdered?" Harry asked in a small voice. "I thought that maybe I just got sick and died or something…"

Tom nodded and pulled Harry against his chest. "That's why I never wanted you to remember the night you died. I still hope you don't, but I thought that maybe you deserved to know how it happened." Tom explained.

Harry nodded against his chest, obviously not ready to get up yet, so Tom just sighed and lied back against the pillows. He calmly ran his hands through Harry's hair. He was grateful that his brother was taking it rather well, under the circumstances, and was not going into his old habit of hyperventilating.

After a few minutes of laying their peacefully, Harry sat up. "I think I want to read some more." He said to Tom softly. Tom nodded and moved to stand up. "Wait." Harry stopped him. "Are there any other shocking parts?" he asked.

Tom shook his head. "Nope, not that I remember." He said, exiting the room and leaving the door open. Harry flipped ahead quite a bit before settling on the page he was looking for.

_December 21__st__ 1938_

_Guess what! Harry and I aren't muggleborns!! We did a potion in potions class today that determined our true bloodline. Apparently, since Grindelwald had his reign of terror, a decade and a half ago, many children have been born from witches being raped. It was decided by the ministry that all first year students would brew the potion. Oh sod it! What do you care if I explain all that!_

_Anyway, Harry and I are descended from Salazar Slytherin! I'm so ecstatic! The looks the other Slytherins gave me were just short of worshipping looks. It was bloody fantastic! _

_Anyway, today was the last day of classes before Christmas, and the students leave tomorrow. I, of course, am not going back to the orphanage. It's going to be strange having a Christmas without Harry…_

_Tom_

Harry smiled as he read that entry, running his hands along the old script across the page. He had always wondered how Tom had found out about his, well their, ancestry.

He put the diary away carefully in his nightstand, and then grabbed his unregistered wand, heading down to the magical library. Tom was there, looking through a book on dark curses

He looked as Harry entered and smiled. "I wondered when you'd make your way down here."

Harry smiled back and sat down next to Tom. "You know, I had never really connected the fact that you grew up with Grindelwald and his reign during your school years."

Tom nodded. "Most of his took place further away from Hogwarts. His reign didn't end until I had graduated though."

Harry nodded. "I'm guessing that every generation has a dark lord." He teased.

Tom laughed and ruffled Harry's hair. "Maybe." He said mildly.

Harry grew serious again. "Why did you start all of this?" he asked.

Tom looked at Harry seriously. "Well, it all started as a way to get revenge on what happened to you." He said honestly. "Then it became my way to fulfill my promise to you."

Harry nodded and looked down at the book in his hands. "What if I asked you to stop?" he said quietly.

Tom sighed. "I can't harry. I'm too far into it now. Besides, I really do believe what I preach. I want an easier life for muggleborns. No one should ever have to live with what we did…what you had to live with twice. When I was brought into the wizarding world, I was so lost and confused and I have no doubt that all muggleborns feel the same way." He explained.

Harry nodded. "But Tom, if we don't let muggleborns in, we'll interbreed too much and the magic would die out anyway. I do agree that it would have been easier to know about the wizarding world before entering it though."

"Hm, well…you are right about the imbreeding." He smiled at Harry. "Maybe we can work something out to suit both of us."

Harry gave him a small smile back. "That would be nice. Maybe then I won't have to kill you." He said.

They looked at each other, each realizing who they were to the outside world. Tom grimaced and hugged Harry tightly. "You're not leaving me again." He whispered into his hair.

Harry nodded. "I don't want to…" he said quietly, finally admitting to himself what he had been struggling with all summer.

* * *

**Written on: **7-23-08


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